I can't believe it's been about 10 years or so since I tried Snow's. I tried Snow's and Kreuz the same day, I believe. Snow's was the brisket that made me say "oh... so this is what brisket should taste like". And I have, of all things, The New Yorker, to thank for introducing me to it. lol.
On that Saturday, I think I got there around 6am, got in line around 7-8am but I can’t remember when they started letting us in. Maybe around 8am.
Every time I've been to Snows it's been on a colder or rainier day and the line has been short, ~20-30 minuets at 10-10:30.
It's a sad day for me since I always wanted to try this place, but never got the chance to. Sadly, it's closed its doors after decades of apparently great bbq : https://www.itemonline.com/news/loc...cle_f184e416-d502-561c-8b5b-9ca09c888212.html
I heard of it over the years and never made it by, either. I hate hearing about these classic BBQ places closing, especially when I missed eating there.
Used to go there when I lived in Huntsville. Great food with a great vibe. It was run by this old 80-something onery black lady who had no qualms about telling you forcefully where to sit. "no, no..you sit there..right there". It was actually quite charming in a way. You'd be sitting at your table in the middle of your lunch and all-of-a-sudden she would break out in a hymn, clapping, and expecting you to join in. It was awesome. The BBQ smoker was right in front of the old house, so you'd have to walk through the smoke to get in the building so your clothes smelled like BBQ before you even got inside.
Truly sad... went there a few times with a club I used to ride with. The ladies working there were half the fun, especially when they saw our motley crew walk in. My oldest daughter went to Sam so we ate in Huntsville on occasion. A few good places to eat among the usual chain places... Potato Shack, the Farmhouse, 1836 Steakhouse and our favorite, Carbonero (Central American food). But we'll miss the the Mt. Zion Baptist Church BBQ.
Ate there regularly from '86 to '90 while I was at Sam. It was always excellent. Unfortunately, quality had taken a hit by the time I ate there last...about 3 years ago. Still it's sad to see it close; it was truly a Huntsville institution.
In Austin: InterStellar, Valentina's (for bbq tacos ala mex), Franklin's Out of town: if you're from out of town or have guests, the experience of going to Salt Lick is great, better than the food; a trip to Lockhart is always fun, you have 3 solid places to choose from; not sure about north and/or east of Austin Also, "an hour from Austin" could mean getting from the south side to the north. Also also, different places have different things that are great. Ribs here, brisket there, sausage over yonder kind of thing.
I would add La BBQ to the Austin list and second all the others listed. Lockhart is a good day trip from Austin and you can really load up by hitting the big three there.
This opens up a new quandary for the guy...what sides and where? You know, "can't miss" the whatever at whatever place. I'm a bad one to ask 'cause I usually just eat meat. Also, if you could plan a daytrip to 3 or 4 places, with interesting things along the route, what would you eat at each? Who has the best what?
Coming from a non-Austinite : If you're into brisket, the 2 best brisket places I've ever been to are Snow's and Franklin, but Snow's is a Saturday-only thing and they used to sell out by 11am. lol. Not sure what it's like now. I'm guessing the wait at Franklin is still silly. Louie Mueller's in Taylor, Tx (NE of Austin) is one of the old school "legendary" places in Texas and run by a family that knows bbq. They're known for their beef ribs (like all beef nowadays, they're probably pricey). I've never been, but it's on my bbq bucket list. In the past, I've had La Barbecue on my radar. It's owned by another of the Mueller clan. I don't know how good it is because it's gone through a few pitmasters, I think. John Mueller used to be there - he's a legend in brisket and screwing up (his sister owns the place and kicked him out if that tells you anything), then the pitmaster was a guy from Franklin, followed by Dylan Taylor... they just keep getting great pitmasters, but I've yet to go. Many used to say their brisket was on Franklin level, but I don't know if ithat's still true or not. You can also try the Lockhart places like VooDooPope mentioned above. Back in the day, Kreuz, Smitty's, and Black's were considered some of the best bbq in the state. They're still good, but the new generation of bbq places seem to have taken over.
that's almost like asking who has the best sauce... i'll never know because I'm usually focused on the meat and rarely add a side unless they have free beans like they do at Opie's or Interstellar... and almost never sauce unless the meat is horrible.
